Sunday, November 14, 2010

Back to the Basics

There are weeks in the school year when I forget that my expectations for students exceed what they can give back. I was talking with my teacher friends and my mom who is a teacher and they all helped me remember to come back to the basics in the classroom. This week, we did just that. We needed to practice getting in line without shoving and pushing. We needed to remember what it felt like and looked like to read independently and with a partner. We needed to slow down. We needed time to play and reconnect with each other so that the routines in our classroom are stronger. Here is a video of a few girls creating during a morning play break. Their cooperation, excitement for creating and partnered conversation/explanation are helping each other learn through play.

3 comments:

Lesa said...

This has been something I've struggled with lately. It is so sad that we feel like we don't have time for these moments in our day. We're missing out on all these great learning moments that are developmentally appropriate. Thanks for the good reminder that others feel the same.

Susan Nations said...

And yet these moments are the ones that allow us to really go deeper when we reach that really teachable moment later on! Bravo to you for stopping and taking the time to TEACH them and RE-TEACH them!

Maria said...

I support this idea and my class needs the same thing this week. Kudos to you for stopping and not pushing through the content. I had to slow down my thinking and try to get all the lose ends tied up before Thanksgiving Break. Excellent post!